Pearl Harbor survivor Maurice Harmelink had 'appreciation for life'

Grand Rapids Press File PhotoMaurice Harmelink was a Pearl Harbor survivor. GRAND RAPIDS -- Surviving one of the deadliest attacks on American soil taught Maurice B. Harmelink about more than the dangers of war.

"I think that day in Pearl Harbor gave him an appreciation for life," said his son, Dale Harmelink. "He wanted to enjoy life and not sweat the small stuff."

Maurice Harmelink would spend four years after that fateful December 1941 morning serving with the U.S. Army Air Corps across the Pacific rim. He returned to Grand Rapids, working initially as a shipping and receiving supervisor at Kirkof Electric before a 40-year career as an independent furniture salesman in Michigan and northern Ohio.

He died Saturday of congestive heart failure. He was 90.

Mr. Harmelink was eating in the mess hall at Wheeler Field on Dec. 7, 1941, having just completed his two-hour guard duty shift at 6:30 a.m. that morning. At the time, he was a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps, which he had spend time with through the end of World War II.

"We heard these planes and though it was the Navy practicing," he told The Press in a 1991 interview. "Then, we saw the rising sun (emblazoned on the Japanese aircraft).

"Before I knew it, another bomb hit the mess hall where we were. Ammunition and everything was exploding in the hangars and there was a lot of confusion."

The confusion was par for the day, with nearly 2,400 Americans dying during the Hawaiian attack and ushering the United States into World War II.

He returned from the war, and became a father and family man who cherished spending time with his wife of 62 years, Marjorie; his four children, Thomas Harmelink, who died of skin cancer in June at age 60, David Harmelink, of Kentwood, Mary Wisner, of Holland, and Dale Harmelink, of Beaufort, N.C.; 10 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

"He was kind, quiet and patient," said Dale. "He had a simple and calm approach to almost everything."

A Union High School and Davenport College graduate, he enjoyed spending time outdoors, with his favorite activities including golf and boating on Spring Lake.He also drew strength from his faith, attending John Knox Presbyterian Church, 4150 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, for 45 years.

There are, perhaps, as many as 40 Pearl Harbor survivors living in Michigan, said Bill Campbell, who works with Kent County United Veterans Council.